1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pneumatic sealing ring including an inner tube and an expandable liner extending in surrounding engagement thereover to be used with a tube-type tire and rim so that the tube-type tire will operate without a conventional inner tube and as if it were tubeless.
2. Background Art
A conventional tube-type tire is commonly known to have an inner tube associated therewith. A primary disadvantage of such a tube-type tire is that the rubber material of the inner tube is subject to pinching during use. Such a pinch may result in a tear and, ultimately, a pinch flat, whereby to place the tire out of service or in need of repair. The tools that are commonly used when a new tube-type tire is installed can also cause a pinch in the inner tube and the resulting damage to the tire.
In this same regard, the inner tube associated with the conventional tube-type tire is characteristically large, bulky and correspondingly heavy. These characteristics are not well suited for achieving the high performance that is required by racing vehicles on which such a tube-type tire may be used. In fact, such conventional tube-type tires can contribute to significant poundage when mounted on a wheel which is likely to reduce speed and increase energy (e.g., fuel) consumption.
Therefore, what is desirable is a tube-type tire that can be used by high performance (e.g., racing) vehicles but has the characteristics of a tubeless tire so as to avoid the shortcomings that have heretofor been associated with conventional tube-type tires.